Editing Alexander Bard

{{short description|Musician, record producer, author, and activist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name                 = Alexander Bard
| honorific_suffix     =
| image                = AlexanderBard.jpg
| alt                  =
| caption              = Bard in 2007
| birth_name           = Alexander Bengt Magnus Bard
| birth_date           = {{Birth date and age|1961|3|17|df=yes}}
| birth_place          = [[Motala]], Sweden
| death_date           =
| death_place          =
| death_cause          =
| resting_place        =
| other_names          =
| occupation           = {{flatlist|
* Singer
* songwriter
* musician
* author
* lecturer
* philosopher
}}
| years_active         = 1982–present
| spouse               =
| partner              =
| children             =
| parents              =
| module             = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed           = yes
| genre           = {{flatlist|
* [[Pop music|Pop]]
* [[electronica]]
}}
| instrument      = {{flatlist|
* Vocals
* guitar
* piano
* keyboards
}}
| label           =
| associated_acts = {{flatlist|
* [[Alcazar (band)|Alcazar]]
* [[Army of Lovers]]
* [[BWO (band)|BWO]]
* [[Gravitonas]]
* [[Vacuum (band)|Vacuum]]
}}
}}
| website            =
| signature          =
}}
'''Alexander Bengt Magnus Bard''' (born 17 March 1961) is a Swedish musician, author, lecturer, artist, songwriter, music producer, TV personality, religious and political activist, and one of the founders of the [[Syntheism|Syntheist religious movement]] alongside his co-author [[Jan Söderqvist]]. Bard is a member of music band [[Army of Lovers]].

== Background and education ==
Bard was born in [[Medevi]], [[Motala Municipality]], [[Sweden]] on 17 March 1961. After he completed his upper secondary education, Bard studied in the United States and in [[Amsterdam]], Netherlands. While living in Amsterdam, he earned part of his living as a [[sex worker]].<ref name=":0">{{cite news |first=Fredrik |last=Strage |author-link=Fredrik Strage |title=Åsiktsmaskinen Alexander Bard |url=http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=2198&a=525795&previousRenderType=6 |publisher=[[Dagens Nyheter]] |date=3 March 2006 |access-date=22 November 2007 |language=sv|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070426083719/http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=2198&a=525795&previousRenderType=6|archive-date=26 April 2007}}</ref> Bard returned to Sweden to study at the [[Stockholm School of Economics]] from 1984 to 1989. In addition to his studies in economics, he took a strong interest in philosophy and [[social theory]] with the explicit aim of becoming a philosophy writer and lecturer.

== Musical career ==
{{BLP sources section|date=September 2023}}
Bard began his musical career in 1982 with the single ''Life in a Goldfish Bowl'' released under the name Baard,<ref name="hardwax.com">{{cite web |title=Baard: Life In A Goldfish Bowl  |url=https://hardwax.com/39166/baard/life-in-a-goldfish-bowl/ |website=hardwax.com |access-date=27 December 2018}}</ref> a synth-punk fusion project he had formed together with two female striptease dancers. He later had some minor success as Barbie, which saw Bard performing ironic [[bubblegum pop]] songs [[Crossdressing|crossdressed]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dryck |first1=Herr |title=Barbie – Prostitution twist |url=http://katastrofalaomslag.blogspot.com/2009/09/barbie-prostitution-twist.html |website=KATASTROFALA OMSLAG |access-date=27 December 2018 |language=sv |date=28 September 2009}}</ref>

After abandoning work on a second Barbie album, Bard formed [[Army of Lovers]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=RAMBARRAN |first=SHARA |date=6 July 2022 |title=Alexander Bard: The "King Midas" of Scandipop? |url=https://medium.com/@shararambarran/alexander-bard-the-king-midas-of-scandipop-ab035ef89dab |access-date=9 July 2022 |website=Medium |language=en}}</ref> with two of Barbie's entourage, [[Jean-Pierre Barda]] and [[Camilla Henemark|La Camilla]].<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web |title=Army of Lovers {{!}} Biography & History |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/army-of-lovers-mn0000503566/biography |website=AllMusic |access-date=27 December 2018 |language=en-us}}</ref> Army of Lovers had
several pan-European hits, the biggest being [[Crucified (Army of Lovers song)|''Crucified'']] and ''Obsession'', while their presence in the US and the UK was limited to repeated club chart successes. They released five studio albums, made over twenty music videos, and became phenomenally successful across Eastern Europe, before Bard disbanded the group in 1996. Army of Lovers have later earned a widespread iconic status in the gay culture, often referred to as a perfect example of the postmodern take on the ideals of [[camp (style)|camp]]. Bard said, “I'm gay. I always fall back on camp or gay as a frame of reference. Then camp doesn't always have to be gay and gay doesn't always have to be camp.”<ref name=":0" /> Bard also worked on the production & composition of Swedish girlgroup [[Midi, Maxi & Efti]].

Following the demise of Army of Lovers, Bard founded [[Vacuum (band)|Vacuum]], a symphonic [[synthpop]] project featuring Bard, [[Marina Schiptjenko]] (formerly of synthpop group Page), and newcomer [[Mattias Lindblom]]. Their debut single ''I Breathe'' was one of the fastest selling singles in [[Sweden]] in 1997 and also topped the singles chart in Italy. Further releases did not do as well, except in Russia and [[Ukraine]], and Bard left after only two albums. He reformed Army of Lovers briefly in 2000 for a handful of new tracks and a greatest hits collection, and later co-wrote and co-produced the first two [[Alcazar (band)|Alcazar]] albums.

In 2005, Bard launched a new music project called [[Bodies Without Organs|BWO]] (short for Bodies Without Organs), together with Marina Schiptjenko and new vocalist [[Martin Rolinski]]. Their debut album ''Prototype'' generated seven top 20 hit singles in Scandinavia and across Eastern Europe and reached platinum status. A second album ''Halcyon Days'', was released in April 2006, which shipped gold and generated four additional hit singles. 2007 saw the release of a third album, ''Fabricator'', followed by a 2008 compilation album and the 2009 release of a fourth studio album, ''Big Science''.

In April 2010, Bard announced that he was working with co-producer [[Henrik Wikström]] on a new project called [[Gravitonas]], signed to [[Universal Music]] worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |last=RAMBARRAN |first=SHARA |date=6 July 2022 |title=Alexander Bard: The "King Midas" of Scandipop? |url=https://medium.com/@shararambarran/alexander-bard-the-king-midas-of-scandipop-ab035ef89dab |access-date=9 July 2022 |website=Medium |language=en}}</ref> The project, described as electro-rock, and fronted by Bard himself and vocalist [[Andreas Öhrn]], released a first digital EP in May 2010 and had its first charts hits in Sweden and Russia in the autumn of 2010. Since they refuse to release physical records tied to traditional promotional media campaigns and instead strictly release their music through streaming and downloads and in EP rather than album format, Gravitonas have been dubbed "The World's First [[Spotify]] Band" by bloggers and the music press. Bard's public friendship with Spotify founder [[Daniel Ek]] has played into this narrative. In addition to several No. 1 hit records across the European continent, Gravitonas have also achieved a considerable following as dance act in the U.S., with three hit records to date in the [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] Top 50 Club Play Chart.

Aside from the groups mentioned above, Alexander Bard has also worked as a songwriter and producer for several Swedish artists,<ref>{{Cite web |last=RAMBARRAN |first=SHARA |date=6 July 2022 |title=Alexander Bard: The "King Midas" of Scandipop? |url=https://medium.com/@shararambarran/alexander-bard-the-king-midas-of-scandipop-ab035ef89dab |access-date=9 July 2022 |website=Medium |language=en}}</ref> in the 1980s mainly with [[Ola Håkansson]] and [[Tim Norell]], in the early 1990s with [[Anders Wollbeck]] and [[Per Adebratt]]—especially on the early 1990s [[Columbia Records]]—signed African cult act [[Midi Maxi & Efti]]—and more recently mainly with [[Anders Hansson (songwriter)|Anders Hansson]] and Henrik Wikström.

Bard was a co-founder of [[Stockholm Records]] and runs several internet and music-related businesses. In August 2011, Bard joined the jury of the Swedish version of the [[Idol (Sweden)|Idol TV show]], sharing the stage with [[Celine Dion]]'s record producer [[Anders Bagge]], quickly being referred to as ''The Scandinavian Simon Cowell'' due to his famously and characteristically harsh and straightforward commenting of the contestants.

[[Army of Lovers]] reunited in 2013, releasing a new compilation album titled ''Big Battle of Egos'' featuring four brand new tracks including lead single and video ''Signed on My Tattoo'', a duet with [[Gravitonas]]. The band cited political reasons, including their outspoken opposition to increased [[homophobia]] and [[antisemitism]] in Europe, for the reunification, after which they headlined both the [[Gay pride|Pride]] festivities of 2013 in [[Copenhagen]] and [[Belgrade]] and several major TV shows in [[Sweden]], [[Poland]], Russia and [[Ukraine]].

== Television career ==
Bard was a judge on the television show [[Idol (Swedish TV series)|''Swedish Idol'']], a spin-off of ''[[Pop Idol]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWHktVPbH5s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/mWHktVPbH5s| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=Alexander Bard till Aksel: "Fuck you" – Idol Sverige 2013 (TV4)|last=Idol Sverige i TV4|date=September 2013 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> between 2011 and 2015, and was a judge on ''Talang'', the Swedish version of ''[[Got Talent]]'', which is broadcast on [[TV4 (Sweden)|TV4]], from 2017. In June 2020, he was fired from that job following public backlash regarding a series of racially charged tweets from Bard.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kritikstorm mot Alexander Bard efter attacken mot Black Lives Matter |url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/a/awmavL/bard-far-sparken-efter-grova-twitterinlagget |website=Aftonbladet |date=13 June 2020 |language=sv}}</ref>

== Literature and lecturing ==
Bard has written three books on the Internet revolution, collectively known as ''The Futurica Trilogy'', together with media theorist [[Jan Söderqvist]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://stockholmtext.com/titles/the-futurica-trilogy/ |title=The Futurica Trilogy |publisher=Stockholm Text |date=28 June 2012 |access-date=6 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503042926/http://stockholmtext.com/titles/the-futurica-trilogy/ |archive-date=3 May 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Their first collaboration ''The Netocrats'' was originally released in [[Swedish language|Swedish]] in 2000, became available in English in 2003, and has since been translated to a further 16 languages with total worldwide sales exceeding 340,000 copies. The book presents a reading of history as the progression of different information technological paradigms, each with a dominant information technology and corresponding elite power triad. Where the printing press era created the power triad of academics, politicians and capitalists, the internet era will create a new power triad, known collectively as the Netocracy.

The second book ''The Global Empire'' was originally released in Swedish in 2003, while the third installment of the trilogy ''The Body Machines'' was originally published in Swedish in 2009. These latter two works were released in English in 2012, completing ''The Futurica Trilogy'', in which the authors present their philosophical vision for a [[global society|global]] and increasingly [[Virtuality (philosophy)|virtual society]], as a consequence of the [[Interactivity|Internet revolution]].

A fourth book from Bard & Söderqvist, ''Syntheism – Creating God in The Internet Age'', was released in October 2014. The book focuses on [[participatory culture]] as the spirituality of the digital age and advocates a radical [[relationalism]] inspired by philosopher [[Alfred North Whitehead]] and physicist [[Niels Bohr]] as the antidote to the [[individualism]] of the collapsing capitalist age. It was followed by a fifth book called ''Digital Libido – Sex, Power and Violence in The Network Society'', a Freudian and Nietzschean critique of the infantilization and existential crisis of contemporary society, in 2018 when Bard and Söderqvist also announced a larger plan where the ''Syntheism'' and ''Digital Libido'' books merely form the first and second installments of a planned second trilogy from the authors on the metaphysics of the internet age, tentatively titled ''Grand Narrative Trilogy''. The working title of the third and final book in the trilogy is ''Process and Event,'' which proposes to explore the metaphysics and implications of cyclical time (nomadology) and linear time (eventology).

Bard has given public lectures since 1997, including three TEDx presentations (as of 2013), with a major focus on the social implications of the [[Internet|Internet revolution]] and has become one of the leading speakers on the international [[Management science|management theory]] lecturing circuit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.speakersnet.se |title=Speakersnet – exclusive speakers – Speakersnet |publisher=Speakersnet.se |access-date=6 November 2012}}</ref>

== Politics ==
Alexander Bard has long been a vocal opponent of laws against personal drug consumption and laws against [[prostitution in Sweden]]. Having earlier been a member of — or worked closely with members of — the [[Liberals (Sweden)|Liberals]], the [[Centerpartiet|Center party]] and the [[Pirate Party (Sweden)|Pirate Party]], he joined the newly founded [[Citizens' Coalition]] in 2018. He departed that party in December 2019, following disagreements about both party goals and how to best achieve them.<ref>{{cite web |title=Alexander Bard träder ur Medborgerlig Samling |url=https://www.medborgerligsamling.se/alexander-bard-trader-ur-medborgerlig-samling/ |website=Medborgerlig Samling |language=sv-SE |date=6 December 2019}}</ref> He later rejoined the Liberals. Following a conversation between the Liberals and Bard regarding several racially charged tweets made by Bard in June 2020, the Liberals announced his departure from the party once again.<ref>{{cite news |title=TV4 bryter samarbete med Alexander Bard |url=https://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=83&artikel=7494958 |website=Sveriges Radio |date = 13 June 2020|language=sv}}</ref> Bard rejoined the Citizens’ Coalition.<ref>{{cite web |title=Just to clarify: Alexander Bard left #Liberalerna and not the other way round. Otherwise completely agreed 100% on all points. #MED rules. Join and vote for @medborgsamling , folks! Let's save #Sweden! |url=https://twitter.com/bardissimo/status/1272452977673089024 |website=twitter.com}}</ref> As of 2023 he considers himself to be a [[Far-right politics|far-right]] [[Marxism|Marxist]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WacGdtQ0Mko|title=Bli en man, med Alexander Bard, he calls himself a far-right Marxist ("extremhögermarxist" in Swedish) at 29:29|website=[[YouTube]] |date=6 October 2023}}</ref> having earlier considered himself to be a [[Libertarian Marxism|Libertarian Marxist]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/bardissimo/status/944831547126853637?lang=en|title=Well, I'm a Marxist libertarian. So if I chat with Marxists, I get blocked by libertarians, and if I hang out with libertarians, I get blocked by Marxists. So I personify the Antiblocking Movement on Twitter. Now there's the next political victim identity!https://twitter.com/realMarcWest/status/944810478131339264 …|first=Alexander|last=Bard|date=23 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.trendingtopics.at/digital-libido-alexander-bard-interview-alpbach/|title=How a Marxist libertarian thinks about sex, power and violence in the network society|date=3 September 2018}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Bard converted to the Iranian original branch of [[Zoroastrianism]] in 1992<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/meet-rustom-from-russia/227642|title=Meet Rustom, From Russia|website=www.outlookindia.com|access-date=24 September 2019}}</ref> after years of intense religious studies. He explains his decision to convert in his book ''Syntheism – Creating God in The Internet Age'' with [[Jan Söderqvist]] by stating that without a solid foundation in philosophical and theological history, the idea of [[Syntheism]] as a set of new religious ideas for a globalized and digitalized world in the 21st century, would not carry its necessary weight. The conversion could also be understood when Bard and Söderqvist place Zoroastrianism next to [[Taoism]] and [[Buddhism]] in their work in what they refer to as ''The Silk Route Triad'', as the historical peak of religious thought and practice.

Bard describes himself as a [[bisexuality|bisexual]] man.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-05-17 |title=Alexander Bard: Bor med en snubbe, men vi ligger med damer |url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/a/GWmQJ |access-date=2024-01-04 |website=www.aftonbladet.se |language=sv}}</ref>

== Bibliography ==
* ''The Netocrats'', with [[Jan Söderqvist]] (2000)
* ''The Global Empire'', with Jan Söderqvist (2002)
* ''The Body Machines'', with Jan Söderqvist (2009)
* ''The Futurica Trilogy'', with Jan Söderqvist (2012)
* ''Syntheism – Creating God in the Internet Age'', with Jan Söderqvist (2014)
* ''Digital Libido – Sex, power and violence in the network society'', with Jan Söderqvist (2018)
* ''Process And Event'', with Jan Söderqvist (2023)

== See also ==
* [[Netocracy]]
* [[Syntheism]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commonscat|Alexander Bard}}
* [http://index.hu/video/2008/09/22/a_halozat_megoli_az_embert/?p=1 Video interview with Alexander Bard (English)]
* {{discogs artist|Alexander Bard}}
* {{imdb name|1053884}}

{{Army of Lovers}}
{{BWO}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bard, Alexander}}

[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Motala]]
[[Category:Musicians from Östergötland County]]
[[Category:Swedish Zoroastrians]]
[[Category:Swedish people of Dutch descent]]
[[Category:Swedish male songwriters]]
[[Category:Swedish LGBTQ songwriters]]
[[Category:Bisexual singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Swedish libertarians]]
[[Category:Swedish dance musicians]]
[[Category:Stockholm School of Economics alumni]]
[[Category:Converts to Zoroastrianism]]
[[Category:Founders of new religious movements]]
[[Category:Swedish LGBTQ singers]]
[[Category:Bisexual male musicians]]
[[Category:Swedish bisexual men]]
[[Category:LGBTQ Zoroastrians]]
[[Category:20th-century Swedish male writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Swedish male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Swedish songwriters]]
[[Category:21st-century Swedish songwriters]]
[[Category:Libertarian Marxists]]
[[Category:Futurologists]]
[[Category:Syntheism]]